May 20, 2013
Are We Friendly?
Recently when I
walked Charlie, the family dog, a fellow dog owner cautioned me from a
distance, “My dog is not friendly. We
need to keep them away from each other.” I appreciated the warning and we
took a wide breadth as we passed one another. It was a good lesson for me and
now before I let Charlie get nose to nose with another dog I ask the owner, ‘Are we friendly?’ People who
church-shop often measure a congregation on the perceived friendliness. Sadly,
every church fellowship has at least one or two grouches who seem to bring down
the score for the entire fellowship of believers. “An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.” (Proverbs 18:1 NIV)
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----I believe that the physical universe and everything in it became a mixture of good and evil - right and wrong - at the Fall, excepting Jesus Christ (making Him our way out of here.) I believe there is very much sense that can be made of this philosophical tidbit. The Bible talks about much good in people and groups of people. It also is certain to remind us that everyone is false (except Jesus, of course, to the above effect.) Everyone is also friendly, in particular ways towards particular effects; everyone is hostile in the same way. Everyone tries to show one or the other trait of which he perceives socially normative to whatever is his present situation. It is a function of human nature both God’s Holy Spirit and Satan’s unholy spirit use to produce their desired effects.
-----That being said, I hope nobody takes me as just being grouchy for saying I would rather a church not focus upon being friendly. Indeed, friendliness is greatly necessary amongst God’s people. However, so is discernment. If we were living where no evil was mixed with the good, we could blithely lovey-dovey just anyone into the fold.
-----I attend a church that is very forward in its friendliness. Indeed, an amazingly large portion of them are very genuine in their friendliness. It just becomes them. And I enjoy it. But I’m cautious to not to grow on it simply because it is there.
-----The “spirit” of this church painstakingly guards its friendliness by a wishy-washy presentation of the Word of God. I don’t mean they are wishy-washy about its moral imperatives or about the facts and personage of Jesus Christ. These they present well. But concerning the nature of God’s Word itself, and the facts about it, I hear from them ideas which make me cringe into cold shivers. I see them framing the Word in such a manner which makes it almost like a piece of art - meaningful to you however you desire to look at it. A mere book of good philosophy? OK. Just don’t tell anyone. Ironclad revelation from God? Ok. Just don’t tell anyone.
-----I admit that there is a level of knowledge about God’s Word which disappears into the black darkness of “don’t know” for every individual. I understand this level to be extraordinarily deep for some, and extraordinarily shallow for others. I understand that knowledge about God’s Word is not the basis for love and fellowship and friendliness. But where I part company with the mentality I find in these churches which want to hang God’s Word on the wall like a very pretty picture, is that God’s Word is certainly what He made it to be. It is one thing, not many. The messages to us God encoded within it are certain. He did not mean this to one, that to another, and whatever to whoever, however they feel it to be. Otherwise, God becomes the deceiver and we each become our own god. Basing friendliness upon a philosophy of "take it as you may" implies that truth arises from perception, not revelation. That's a big mistake.
-----The Bible is not interested in our own need to feel correct. It is interested in our confessions wherein we are not correct and our confession that we will not be correct until Christ corrects us upon going home. I would rather find the church basing friendliness upon accepting one another in spite of everyone's failures while each sees the Word of God as His certain truth all of us know some of, none of us know enough of, and humility teaches more of.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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